7 Barn Cat Breeds: Felines to Keep on Your Farm (With Info & Pictures)
Barn or farm cats are possibly the purest incarnations of a cat. The earliest domesticated felines invited themselves onto our land to take care of our vermin problem, and many today still prefer it to a traditional housecat life.
Not all cat breeds take well to life on the farm, but others are perfectly suited due to their history, temperament, and physical traits. If you’re interested in what types of cats are best suited to taking care of a vermin problem for you, look no further. Check out all the best barn cat breeds down below.
The 7 Barn Cat Breeds
1. Maine Coon
Breed Overview
Lifespan:
Weight:
Colors:
Maine Coons are large, fluffy cats that are well-known for their doglike personalities. They like solitude as much as the next cat and will gladly occupy themselves by hunting down rats but enjoy spending a lot of time with their humans too. Maine Coons do well as both housecats and part-time barn cats because of their affable personality and keen hunting instinct. Their thick, plush coat helps them stay comfortable in extreme cold, too.
2. Siamese
Breed Overview
Lifespan:
Weight:
Colors:
Siamese are one of the most popular cat breeds in the world, with a trademark color point pattern that leaves their body lighter than their extremities. Keep in mind that there are just four recognized color point patterns in Siamese.
These elegant, inquisitive creatures do great as highly sociable barn cats, so they’re hardly a cat you can just let loose and expect minimal contact. Siamese are athletic, playful kitties that make excellent hunters to control vermin on your property.
3. American Shorthair
Breed Overview
Lifespan:
Weight:
Colors:
Descended from European cats brought to North America to protect food stores, the American Shorthair is one of the most diverse cat breeds in the world, and the 8th most popular cat breed in the world. These cats are diverse in personality as well as coloring, but most retain a curious, playful nature that makes them excellent hunters. An independent streak helps in that regard too, and they’re fairly low-maintenance farm cats to keep on your property.
4. Siberian
Breed Overview
Lifespan:
Weight:
Colors:
Siberians are big, strong cats with long, triple-layered coats perfectly suited to cold and wet weather, though they love being near people too. This breed is sociable and not likely to bother your livestock or other pets but is definitely self-motivated enough to carve out their own niche on your land and set up shop as the local vermin hunter. They’re playful and sometimes described as a doglike breed and tend to live long lives. As implied by the name, the Siberian cat traces back to ancient, snowy Russia.
5. Chartreux
Breed Overview
Lifespan:
Weight:
Colors:
The rare but instantly recognizable Chartreux hails from France, with a water-resistant blue-gray coat and distinctly aloof personality. They’re smart, active animals that are known to be quiet or mute, and their big, muscular bodies make them great hunters for any farm. They’re pretty neutral towards both people and other pets, but don’t expect them to be extroverted.
6. American Wirehair
Breed Overview
Lifespan:
Weight:
Colors:
The American Wirehair is an offshoot of the American Shorthair, traced back to a single litter of kittens born with a wiry, dense wool-like coat similar to a lamb’s wool. They’re prolific explorers, but not the most energetic breed out there, but they do have a strong prey drive that makes them good at deterring mice or rats. Overall, they’re nearly identical to the shorthair cat.
7. Bengal
Breed Overview
Lifespan:
Weight:
Colors:
For a more exotic barn cat, consider the mini-leopard Bengal cat. They’re the result of breeding a regular domestic cat with an Asian leopard cat, and the Bengal is a spectacular athlete with a wild prey drive that makes them ideal farm cats. Bengals are fiercely independent and intelligent, and with patience, some of them can even be trained to perform tricks like a dog.
Conclusion
Barn or farm cats are one of the most beneficial critters you can have on a farm, and they take care of vermin problems like it’s nobody’s business. In exchange for a comfy, warm space to sleep and some food, any one of the barn cat breeds above makes an amazing companions that double as pest control!
Featured Image Credit: Alexas_Fotos, Pixabay
Expert cat care, straight to your inbox
News, insights, and useful advice, delivered to you.
No spam — unsubscribe anytime.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy & Cookies Policy.
How useful was this post?
Click a star to rate. You can leave written feedback afterwards. (We read all feedback.)
Codee Chessher is a freelance writer with extensive knowledge on a variety of subjects that include travel, DIY, pets, and more. He has a colorful past but the written word was always his first love. He believes there's nothing a well-worded sentence can't accomplish!
When not writing, Codee enjoys reading fantasy novels, tackling DIY projects around the house, and memorizing useless pop culture trivia. He has lived in many places around the US, and most recently resides in northern Mexico.
